All scheduled horse racing in Britain on 10 September will be cancelled as the sport stages a strike in protest against the Treasury's proposal to raise betting duty. The move, which affects meetings at Uttoxeter, Lingfield, Kempton and Carlisle, is expected to cost the industry around £700,000.
The action has been agreed by Jockey Club Racecourses, Arena Racing Company and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The strike comes after a Treasury consultation on equalising the duty rate for sports betting with that for games of chance such as roulette and online slots.
Currently, gambling on games of chance is taxed at 21% of gross profits, while betting on racing and sports is taxed at 15%. An additional 10% levy on gross profits from UK racing bets is returned to the sport. The proposal to harmonise the rates was first floated under the previous Conservative government and has been retained by the Labour administration.
Brant Dunshea, acting chief executive of the BHA, warned that the tax change could lead to job losses and jeopardise the future of Britain's second-largest spectator sport. The strike takes place 24 hours before the St Leger meeting at Doncaster, which Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attended last year.
